Rowan Tree

[Trustysliders]

Would it be considered anti social to plant a Rowan tree knowing the berries are toxic to dogs? We don’t have a dog but there are dogs in the neighbourhood and I really would hate to be responsible for anything happening to one of the. It would be in an area people do pass.

Rowans are very beneficial to birds and there are plenty of toxic plants about. I don’t think this is an issue.

if you have a woodland trust division operating nearby it’s worth asking as they give hundreds of saplings away every year and one of the varieties is rowan. We have 2 now courtesy of them (and a wild cherry)

Thanks I know it’s probably a bit silly to worry about this but I’m an animal lover and would just feel terrible. Your reply is reassuring though.

I’ll look and see if we do. I am hoping to plant something partially grown though so maybe not the kind of thing they offer?

The berries are quite bitter and unlikely To be eaten by dogs in any quantity. We have two rowans in our garden, in twenty odd years the dogs have never touched the berries. In fact as soon as they begin to ripen the blackbirds and thrushes gorge themselves. I never see berries lying around, the birds get them all.

Thank you that’s really reassuring

My BIL's dog died from a lung disease after eating a snail. You can't worry about every eventuality in life.

My DSis has a very well established Rowan and has always had Dogs. There’s not germ a problem.

Complete non-issue. People walk their dogs in the countryside all the time, and there are plenty of native rowan trees.

Agree with FizzingAda, the berries on my Rowan very rarely make it to the ground. The bird eat them all before they get a chance to fall.

I am hoping to plant something partially grown

If you plant a sapling it will grow more quickly than something partially grown (obviously after a few years) and will establish more easily. It will also be easier to plant. If you know anyone with rowans in their garden they might have self sown seedlings you could scrounge.

*been

We have self seeded rowans which are shooting up and an expensive tall one from a garden centre which has hardly grown in 5 years.

Thanks all! Now just to choose which Rowan I like best.

Those saying the saplings grow quicker - how quick do you mean? We really need to add some interest to our garden asap so that’s why I was thinking of buying something maybe 150cm already.

We have a rowan tree and have had dogs for years, some big, some small. Some have been obsessed with eating the berries, some have not been bothered by them in the slightest. Obviously I pick up what I can and discourage the eating of the berries, but sometimes I may as well save my breath. We have had no ill effects from the berries, not even an upset tummy, so I think any risk to your local dogs is minimal.

It’s lovely that you’re thinking of them though (unlike the neighbours who sprinkle
cooked chicken bones in the long grass verge ‘for the foxes’).

I've put a rowan in my garden (to keep the witches at bay...) and my dog has no interest in the berries at all. But it's a wonderful tree for bees and birds and so worth planting for that alone! I planted mine as a two year tree and it's shooting up, but I keep nipping out the topmost bud as I don't want it to get too tall. Last year was its first year flowering and with berries and I was as proud as a first time mum when I saw the first buds!

@Trustysliders you could use annuals or short lived perennials to give your garden interest, and food or shelter for the wildlife, until your tree has grown a bit. Sweet peas grown up a few canes or sticks tied together at the top will give height. Teasels grow quite tall.

I would think a sapling will reach the same height in four or five years as a tree you could spend upwards of £60 on. I stand to be corrected on timings and money. Someone I know transplanted a birch sapling and it has filled out and grown so well in about three years or so, it's amazing. That's with it being trimmed as well.

Get a native species, ideally one that thrives in your local woodland. I think our mistake was getting an ornamental one, non-native.